Oyo State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism Dr. Wasiu Olatunbosun said on Thursday that he took no fewer than 25 bottles of black seed oil, a bowl of black seed, lots of alligator pepper, bitter cola as well as different brands of herbal concoctions in his bid to get a cure for the novel coronavirus.
Olatunbosun, while recounting his COVID-19 experience of 46 days in self-isolation, said the government must seek ways to supplement orthodox and traditional medicine, especially the use of local herbs as parts of efforts to getting a permanent cure for Covid-19.
He said he did not only drink different brands of herbal concoctions at intervals, he also used the same for steaming despite the use of regular medication.
He wondered that despite unrelenting campaigns to sensitise people on safety protocols on the coronavirus, many people still go about their businesses without fear of contracting the virus.
The commissioner said the state’s COVID-19 Task Force had toured over 600 communities in the state to sensitise people about the dangers of the virus and how to avoid contracting it, but that results from community testing indicated that many people have been infected and spreading the virus.
He said: “You would not believe that while I was on self-isolation at home, some people still came to my house on Sallah day to celebrate with me. They did not fear at all; I had to send emissaries to them on phone with gifts and asked them to go home. It was that bad.
“We preached the dangers of COVID-19 at all nooks and crannies of the state. We toured 600 rural communities like the holy prophets did, but our people did not heed the warning in time, which led to the outburst of the disease in rural areas at a point. But thank God the curve has slowed and we now have insignificant numbers coming from the rural areas.
On how he survived the virus and psychological effects of the 46 days self-isolation, the commissioner said despite that he was asymptomatic of the virus, he endured six tests before being certified to be negative.
“I took 25 bottles of black seed oil, a bowl of black seed, a lot of alligator pepper and bitter-cola as well as different brands of herbal concoctions, which I drank at an interval and used for steaming after my normal drugs, but the utmost is prayers to overcome the trauma.”
